Opportunity for France to relieve pressure
France will face Poland - who have already been eliminated - at the Westfalenstadion in the final Group D match at 11pm on June 25. Coach Didier Deschamps' team finished second in Group D behind the Netherlands on goal difference, but Poland will certainly finish bottom of the group after becoming the first team to be eliminated from EURO 2024.
Mbappe will join France to defeat Poland to dispel doubts
France have yet to really show their strength with a narrow 1-0 win over Austria and a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands leaving some to question their ability to win this year's EURO.
Indeed, Les Bleus can count themselves lucky to have four points from two games after Xavi Simons' 69th-minute goal denied them a draw with the Netherlands. Criticism of Deschamps' side has grown since then, particularly from commentators who have suggested that the coach has not made the most of his immense talent. However, it should be noted that captain and talismanic striker Kylian Mbappe missed the draw with the Netherlands due to a broken nose suffered against Austria.
Additionally, although France have not played as well as they would have liked, there have been positive aspects of their opening two games, most notably promising performances from Theo Hernandez, Mbappe and N'Golo Kante. Les Bleus are also unbeaten in their last five games and have won 14 of their last 20.
If France avoid defeat against Poland or Austria fail to beat the Netherlands in the same match, Mbappe and his teammates will finish in the top 2 to secure a ticket to the round of 16.
France will top Group D if they win and the Netherlands don't, but if Les Bleus and the Netherlands both win or draw, they will share first and second place based on goal difference, then goals scored…, and finally world ranking (France above the Netherlands).
Group D standings after 2 matches
As for Poland, they are fourth in Group D after losing their opening two matches against the Netherlands and Austria last Friday. Although the Polish Eagles could still be level on points with Austria, they cannot surpass their opponents because they lost their head-to-head.
In all fairness, coach Michal Probierz has had a tough time with his squad, as top scorer and record appearance holder Robert Lewandowski was injured and was not used against the Netherlands and was only brought on in the 60th minute against Austria.
Mr. Probierz also only took charge of the Austrian team in September 2023 and has had a period of quite positive results, winning 6/10 matches and only losing for the first time at EURO 2024.
Netherlands need 1 point against Austria
The Netherlands need just one point from their final Group D match against Austria, which kicks off at 11pm on June 25, to secure a place in the round of 16. The Netherlands top the group with four points, while Austria, coached by Ralf Rangnick, edged Poland to three points in their previous match but must avoid defeat to have any chance of reaching the round of 16.
With the goal of reaching the round of 16 for the 8th time in the last 9 EUROs, the Netherlands somewhat affirmed their position as a candidate when holding world runner-up France to a 0-0 draw last weekend.
The Netherlands (right) need a point against Austria to advance.
Having beaten Poland 2-1 in their opening game, the 'Orange Storm' will secure a place in the top two of Group D if they avoid defeat to Austria; and will secure top spot if they win and France fail to overcome Poland. If Koeman's team draws or loses and France wins, they will still finish second, and even if they lose, the Netherlands can still qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Since the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands are unbeaten in group stage matches at major tournaments, winning nine of their 11 matches and scoring in each except for the goalless draw with Les Bleus. During that run, they beat Austria 2-0 at EURO 2020.
In fact, Austria's last victory over the Netherlands was 34 years ago, but ending that barren run may be necessary in this clash in Germany to help them secure their place in the last 16.
Austria will top Group D if they beat the Netherlands and France fail to beat Poland, but if they draw and Les Bleus lose, Austria will finish third on their head-to-head record. A point would be enough to make them the best third-placed team to advance.
Denmark and Serbia duel
The Allianz Arena in Munich will host a crucial Euro 2024 Group C clash at 2am on June 26 as Denmark and Serbia clash for the right to reach the round of 16. Kasper Hjulmand's side are currently in second place after drawing both matches, while Dragan Stojkovic's Serbia are out of the running to top the group but still have hope of progressing.
Denmark (red shirts) must beat Serbia to secure a ticket to the next round.
After dropping a painful two points in their opening EURO 2024 match against Slovenia, Denmark came close to upsetting a lacklustre England side. However, a two-point deficit to their opponents means they still have a say in their fate. A win over Serbia would see the Tin Soldiers through to the last 16. But Denmark and Serbia will be eliminated if they lose and Slovenia stun England.
For Serbia, the striker duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic both failed to leave their mark at EURO 2024, they had to rely on Luka Jovic's brilliance to help maintain their hopes of advancing with a draw against Slovenia in the second match.
Group C standings after 2 matches
Stojkovic's side still have a slim chance of beating Denmark and Slovenia to finish second and advance to the round of 16. But to make that hope a reality, Serbia must win and wait for Slovenia to fail to beat England.
Amid such complex permutations, Serbia can only focus on the immediate task of Denmark, but they have been defeated by their opponents in all three previous matches.
Slovenia determined to surprise England
Knowing that 1 point will be enough for a place in the round of 16, the England team still has to be careful against Slovenia in the final match of Group C at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne at 2am on June 26. While coach Gareth Southgate's team has 4 points, their opponent Slovenia still hopes to cause a surprise to enter the round of 16.
England still need a point against Slovenia to advance.
One striking difference between England's Group C opener against Serbia and Denmark is that the Three Lions did not pay a heavy price for their passive and unconvincing play. A win by any score or a failure by Denmark to beat Serbia in the other game would see England retain top spot in the group. And even if disaster struck, the Three Lions would still progress as the best third-placed team.
However, with England having only won two of their last seven games, Slovenia still have a chance to make a difference. Slovenia are currently third in Group C, with the same two points as Denmark but behind on goal difference. So, if they draw or lose, their fate will depend on the result of Denmark's match with Serbia.
A win over England would secure Slovenia's place in the next round, but it won't be easy. Of Slovenia's six matches against England, five have ended in defeat.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-euro-hom-nay-sang-mai-ve-di-tiep-cho-phap-ha-lan-va-anh-185240624202646664.htm
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